Prediction: Hertha Berlin vs Augsburg

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 10/11

Bookmaker: bet365

Hertha are set to play host to Augsburg at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Saturday afternoon, in a game that will be a part of the 29th round of the 2019/20 season in the Bundesliga. It will be a contest between two teams which should both be highly motivated, given the way the table is set at the moment.

Hertha Berlin

It hasn’t been a bad campaign for the team from the German capital as it is, but if they manage to fight their way to play in Europe next term, it will be considered a great success. They are currently in 10th place with 35 points from the previous 28 rounds, seven less than Wolfsburg in sixth. It’s beginning to look like a rather tall order, but nothing can be ruled out at this point. They would also have to overtake Hoffenheim (39 points), Freiburg (38) and Schalke (37), while making sure they themselves aren’t overtaken by FC Koln (11th, 34 points). One thing is clear; if they’re harbouring any thoughts of European football next season, they need every single point within their reach in the remaining six rounds.

Bruno Labbadia’s men will feel heartened by their showing against RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday. They were a good match for the Champions League team, taking the lead early on and bouncing back near the end after the hosts had turned the scoreline around. Their overall form since the return of football in Germany is another encouraging factor for Hertha – they won twice before splitting the points with Leipzig.

Team News

Given the short span between their last game and this one, Labbadia is expected to make some changes to his team on Saturday. On Wednesday, left-back Marvin Plattenhardt suffered a concussion, and Maximilian Mittelstadt, the man who replaced him, should now get a chance to start. Midfielders Marius Wolf and Santiago Ascacibar are expected to miss the game through foot injuries.

Augsburg

Sitting in 12th place with 31 points, Augsburg certainly won’t be looking at a European spot, or any of the teams above. They’ll rather be looking over their shoulders, with Fortuna Dusseldorf, currently in 16th place which leads to relegation play-offs, just four points behind. Union Berlin are just below Augsburg on mere goal-difference, Eintracht Frankfurt have 29, and Mainz 05 have racked up 28.  While Werder Bremen and SC Paderborn’s chances of survival seem extremely pale, the battle to avoid that 16th place in the end is bound to be interesting.

It should be motivation enough for the visitors to try and spring a surprise in this match.

On the other hand, a look at Augsburg’s form over the last six league matches is far from an encouraging view for their supporters. They won once, drew once, and lost four times. However, the win was a very surprising affair, a 0-3 triumph away to Schalke. While that result could be perceived as boost, the 0-0 draw at home against bottom-side SC Paderborn that followed certainly couldn’t.

Team News

Coach Heiko Herrlich will likely leave forward Alfred Finnbogason out of the starting XI. The Iceland international has reportedly overcome his knee problem, but he still needs to build up his fitness before starting games. The rest of the squad are all in contention, but like his opposite number, Herrlich is likely to make some changes from the team that drew against Paderborn on Wednesday.

Conclusion

As has already been pointed out, Augsburg are quite capable of pulling a surprise in a difficult away game. However, it stands to reason to expect Hertha to come out triumphant from their clash on Saturday.

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 10/11

Bookmaker: bet365